Birthdays
by Light Under My Skin
Summary: AU. James and Lily's lives have been anything but simple. From childhood to adolescence, they dealt with problems many don't... and many do. But no matter their problems, they spent January 30th of every year together for ten years. This is just One Day in the life of Lily and James. Written for the HPFC "One Day" Challenge.
1. Parents

Summary: AU. James and Lily's lives have been anything but simple. From childhood to adolescence, they dealt with problems many don't (and many do). But no matter their problems, they spent January 30th of every year together for ten years. This is just One Day in the life of Lily and James.

Written for the HPFC "One Day Challenge"

Challenge Rules:

1) Your story must be a multi-chaptered fic.

2) Each chapter must be between 500-1500 words.

3) You can change your pairings up to **three **times.

4) I will give you ten prompts (One for each year) and part of the judging will be how well you incorporate the prompts within the story.

5) You may request pairings but there are no promises that you will get that pairing

6) There are thirty spaces. (Please tell me a number between 1-30 and I will give you a pairing. I may also open up more spaces if I get a lot of people entering)

7) No double claims.

8) Any rating is allowed

9) Femslash/Slash is also allowed. However, please let me know if there is something you really CAN'T write.

Pairing Given: Lily/James

Prompts: Broken, fly, pride, challenge, climb, terror, run, parents, theater, Big Ben

Chapter 1: Prompt: Parents

January 30th, 1969 dawned a dark and gloomy day. The ever-present London rain pounded on the pavement as umbrellas darted to and fro, hiding the stony-faced people under their shady protection. It was a quiet day, this Saturday, and most people were accompanied to their destination by nothing but the patter of rain everywhere.

Inside the safety of his parent's warm bakery, James Potter helped his parents open the bakery for the day. Having turned ten that previous December, James was now proudly helping his father lift the heavy bags of flour from the storage, instead of having to wash and clean the dining area with his mother. His new task difficult but not overly challenging, James was a happy boy indeed.

The entire Potter Bakery, it seemed, always radiated with happiness. The little family wasn't poor, exactly, but neither were they rich – not that it mattered to the Potters. Their happiness came from doing what they loved every day and, in that bakery, there was happiness in the air.

If only all of London was like that.

In a forgotten corner of London, Lily and Petunia Evans were running for their freedom. That morning, not only had the two children woken up to rain pounding on their house but, when their parents didn't rise to start the day, they'd discovered that they'd been kidnapped and, considering their father's job, possibly murdered.

Quite a bad way to start a birthday, Lily thought while running away from home.

Considering how the girls were only nine and ten respectively, one might assume that Lily and Petunia would be shocked, distraught even, at their parent's supposed death. Yet Lily and Petunia, far from being shocked, could not imagine how it had taken those bad people so long to find their parents.

You see reader, their father had been a very rich man, but he had worked with very shady people. Exactly three months before that fateful Saturday morning, he had made one mistake too many. The little family had then fled to a house in the poorest neighborhood in town and their father, much to Lily and Petunia's original discomfort, had started instructing them on what do to after his death (or, as he so eloquently phrased it "demise"). He had told the girls that no matter what, they must run. They must not let themselves be taken by the orphanages.

So there they were, running for their lives.

As they ran (hand in hand, as sisters are wont to do) Lily couldn't help thinking that, even if she didn't have her parents, she could get by with her sister.

As long as she had her sister.

Back in the shop, James Potter was back on cleaning duty. He'd finished with his father in the storage room and, because he wasn't yet old enough to help with the baking, he had to help his mother finish cleaning. It was only due to his boredom and frustration that he looked up, just in time to see a redhead sprint past his shop.

Running by the front window, she was unlike any girl he'd ever seen. While everyone else in London had a grey, boring look in their eyes, this girl was alive in a way he'd never seen before. She was even colored differently, her stark, deep red hair shining as bright as her piercing green eyes which were, for the split second he saw them, looking anxiously one way to another, as if they were being followed. Running alongside her, a tall, skinny, and somewhat older girl grasped her hand, trying to be above and removed from the situation while, in reality, she was gripped with fear. He could see it in her eyes.

The girls were gone before James Potter could even move and, the boy with the glasses thought sadly, gone for good.


	2. Terror

Chapter 2: Prompt: Terror

Every day after seeing that girl, James couldn't help but think about her. She was different, see, so utterly different than anyone he'd ever met – and he hadn't even really met her!

But it wasn't until the same day, exactly one year later, that James saw her again.

Technically, at eleven James was old enough to be able to help more in the kitchens nowadays. His father had told him this one day, excited, only to see James' excitement die in his eyes. Obviously, he was thrilled to be able to help his parents more, doing what both he and they liked, but working in the kitchens meant never having a chance to keep a lookout for the beautiful girl.

Though the girl meant nothing to him, the thought gripped him with terror.

Yet what could he say?

His father rewarded him by letting him help out in the kitchen during the days – even bringing out bread to the customers occasionally, though he could never touch the cash register. This work, busy as it was, took his mind mostly off of that girl – the one he'd dubbed "Red" – though he still thought of her, every day.

The bell rang that day when he was in the back of the shop.

"James! Will you take that order? I'm taking out the bread!"

A thrill shot through James. Naturally, he was terrified of doing this (something he never practiced, what if he messed up!) but he didn't let that show. Holding himself as high as his eleven-year-old frame could manage, he approached the front to help the customer.

And stopped dead in his tracks.

There, wringing her hands and looking nervously around for someone, was the redhead girl. She hadn't seen him yet, so James took a moment to take her in. She was just as beautiful as before, green eyes just as fierce, though they were mixed with an age that a girl her age – what was she, ten? – shouldn't have. She wore a lot of layers in her clothes, the top ones wet with the day's rain, and they seemed to be old, tattered. Now James would never judge a person by what they wore, or how much money they had, but this girl did seem in need of a warm meal.

"Hi," he asked, his professionalism slipping as he eyed the beautiful girl.

Her eyes shot up to his, startled, before relaxing slightly.

She looked nervously at him, eyes still wide with terror, "Hi," she whispered back quietly, eyes piercing into his.

James looked at her, stunned. Seeing her eyes was one thing, but having them pierce straight at you was quite another. He was stunned. He was speechless…

"Can I help you?" he asked, collecting himself and shaking his head slightly.

In all honesty, Lily didn't really care what she bought, as long as she bought something. While she knew that living on the streets would be better than in an orphanage, where she and Petunia could be found, that still didn't make it any easier sometimes. She'd become accustomed to an empty stomach, gurgling and growling at all times.

She thrust her arms out, revealing the meager change in her child-hands, "I don't have much."

He took the change from her, calculating quickly, and then smiled up at the girl, "I'll be right back!"

Lily watched the boy go, taking all her money with him. Still, he seemed nice and, though Lily didn't trust easily, she believed that the boy would be fair. Usually, her intuition would do her justice (even at ten years old) and though terror gripped her body at being in an establishment, at being out in public, she wasn't terrified of the boy himself.

In reality, the boy made her feel quite calm, safe even, if that was possible. He had a happy smile to his face, and kind hazel eyes that peered at her behind perfectly round spectacles. His hair, jet black, stuck up all over the place, and there was a little bit of white flour sprinkled around it, as he'd probably carelessly run his hand through his hair after messing with the dough.

Even at 10, a part of Lily's mind told her he'd be quite handsome, one day, though she ignored it. What did it matter, what one looked like? All that mattered was food and family and… well food.

At the thought of food, her belly rumbled and, just as it did, the boy came back out, carrying a large brown paper bag with him, bringing the enticing aroma of food right to her stomach.

Watching the girl's eyes light up at the food he brought her made a smile break out onto his face. Sure, he'd given her more than her money's worth, but his parents wouldn't mind, hungry as she seemed to be. Besides, it was more than worth it to see the terror fade from her eyes as she eyed the bag.

"Here you go," James said, giving her the bag. And then, because he couldn't just bear to see her leave he said to her quickly, "What's your name?"

Terror gripped Lily as he asked, wiping away the contented feeling of finally having good food to eat. Why was he asking her name? Did he know her parents? Was he bad? A million thoughts raced through her head, and she quickly started backing away, but before she could leave, the boy interrupted her.

"Hey wait!" he said, quickly getting out from behind the counter and approaching her, though he kept his distance, "I didn't mean to scare you. My name is James. James Potter."

Lily shouldn't give him her name. It was dangerous, knowing who she was. She continued backing out, towards the door, trying to ignore the part of her that trusted this boy, that felt bad for his forlorn face.

Yet she couldn't. For all that she'd hardened living on the streets, Lily was still a good person at heart.

"Lily," she squeaked out to him, terror rushing through her veins at the admission. Then, before he could say another word, she was out into the rain, hurrying away.

Later, back in her makeshift home with Petunia, Lily stuffed herself with the bread. It was enough for both her and her sister, with plenty left over for days to come. Lily wasn't daft, she knew that the boy had given her too much, but it was the best birthday present in the entire world.

That night, starring up at the skies of London, wishing on the stars, Lily's eyes drooped shut. And, right before they did, a whisper, "Thank you James."

She slept peacefully for that night (the first in over a year), not gripped by even a moment of terror.


	3. Broken

Chapter 3: Prompt: Broken

Another year passed, in which James grew and helped around the shop, and Lily, his precious Lily, was nowhere to be found. His parents had hit a rough year, and he was being homeschooled, working there on his homework and helping them whenever they needed it. Though it had been a year, every time the bell rang, he would shoot up in his seat, eager to see if Lily had returned.

To his astonishment, he didn't actually need to check the day she _did _come in, because she ran straight to him.

Lily knew what she was doing was crazy. She'd met the boy once in her life, and the only thing she knew about him was his name. Still, he made her feel safe, feel whole, and she desperately needed it that day.

The day she woke up, happy to be turning eleven, only to be broken.

Why did things always go wrong on her birthday?

All that James saw was a blur of red hair, before she'd attached herself to him, crying. It was the sound of someone broken beyond repair.

Like any twelve-year-old boy, James was not comfortable with crying girls. He had the maturity to know that girls weren't "gross" like some other boys he knew, but he didn't quite have the maturity to know what to do when a pretty girl runs in and, without saying a word, starts crying on you.

So he just wrapped his arms around her, hugged her back, and didn't say one word.

He didn't know how long they sat there, hugging, but eventually her sobs quieted and she pulled back. Tears still streamed down her face, rivulets of pain and sorrow, and his heart broke for her. Whereas before she was a girl scorned by misfortune, dealing with a problem that arose, now she seemed to carry the burden of the world.

"It's Petunia," she said before he could ask, "My sister. She's gone."

"Where did she go?" he asked naively.

She looked down, "She said she'd leave, but I didn't believe her. She wanted to go to the orphanages." There was a pause, as James tried to take this all in. Orphanages? Where did this girl live? "But she knew the risks!" Lily said, exploding, "She knows why we can't! Why did she?"

Hiding her face in his jacked once more, she sobbed to herself.

Processing all this new information about the wonderful redhead, it took James a few moments to understand, "Lily," he asked cautiously, "Do you live on the streets?"

The broken girl just nodded.

James was twelve, but his tone was that of one much older, "Do you… do you need a place to stay?"

Lily hesitated for a long time. In reality, that's all she wanted now: a warm bed, guaranteed food every day, and company yes she yearned for company. Even before Petunia left she was lonely. And now? But no, she couldn't. As much as she wanted to, as much as living on the streets, alone, was too much for an eleven-year-old to bear, she knew she couldn't put this boy in danger. This trusting, caring, wonderful boy could not be hurt because of her.

So, with a broken heart, she resigned herself to dealing with the world alone, resigned herself to rejecting this offer – the one she wanted for all her heart.

This is the worst birthday yet, she thought to herself, as she said to him, "No thanks, I'm ok."

He didn't believe her, not for a second, but before he could say another word, she got up, and headed for the door. In fact, she was outside by the time he gained his wits and got up after her.

"Hey!" he said, calling after her, trying to see her through the rain.

She turned, rain splattering on her face and clothes, mingling with her tears. James couldn't help but think she was a broken angel, in that moment.

"Promise you'll come back!" he called after her, "Promise me whenever you need anything, you'll come back!" Remembering something, he called out to her again. Whereas before his voice had been scared, it was now sure, powerful, demanding, hinting at the man to come, "Stay there!"

He ran back inside, and came back just as quickly, panting, holding the bread close to his shirt, so it wouldn't get wet. He brought it out as quickly as he could, for her, so that she could have something today, something that, while it wouldn't heal her, would keep her from being completely broken.

But she was already gone.


	4. Fly

Chapter 4: Prompt: Fly

She'd never promised to come back, but she did. Not nearly as many times as James would have hoped, of course, but she came back nonetheless. James tried to find a pattern in her visits, tried to pinpoint some way knowing when she'd come nest, but she always surprised him.

Indeed, the only thing keeping Lily safe at this point in her life was seemingly random events. She knew that she was in danger – from various people, even strangers – and the best protection a twelve-year-old girl could have, short of a family to protect her, was ambiguity and erratic behavior.

Honestly, there's no such thing as true randomness, so Lily tried her best to mimic randomness by wandering. Going where her feet took her, taking her meager belongings with her, always. She would often follow the birds, walking normally but tilting her head towards the sky, wishing she could fly like the birds, wishing she could be above it all.

There was one thing consistent in her life, and that was her birthday, and what had become her birthday tradition: seeing James. Of course, he didn't know it was her birthday, and she didn't let him know. Through her sporadic visits they had developed a close friendship, built on the trust that she had towards him, for whatever reason. Even when she'd been happy, Lily had never had many friends, save Petunia, but she found that a friendship with James was easy… comfortable even.

So, on her twelfth birthday, that iconic January 30th, Lily Evans strolled into the Potter's Bakery.

James too, though a boy and somewhat less intelligent, had noticed the pattern of the January 30ths. So, while he usually simply sat in his seat, working, and looking up when a customer entered, that day he was already up, waiting for her, a small pastry in his hand.

Lily, despite herself, smiled.

"Good morning Red," he said, as he always did.

Lily liked to change it up. It probably came from watching the birds really, wishing she could be as sporadic as they. Oftentimes she'd make up a new nickname for him, sometimes using one three times in a row, sometimes using it and discarding it, whatever suited her fancy, "Good morning Jamsie."

He wrinkled his nose, as he always did at her nicknames, and offered her the pastry.

They sat in an amiable silence, before James broke it. At thirteen, he wasn't yet mature enough to sit in silence without asking his fair share of questions. Lily was used to it, but this question still caught her off-guard.

"Why January 30th?" James asked her.

She didn't want to tell him about her birthday, because then he'd make a big deal out of it, as James was wont to do on special occasions. Last December, too sad to spend Christmas alone, she'd wandered into the store, surprised that it was opened on such a large holiday. Seeing the festivities, Lily had been about to leave, but James had stopped her before she could. She'd spent the entire day in his bakery, laughing and singing and dancing to the Christmas music.

It had been wonderful.

"James, did you know that birds migrate?" she asked, the question, in her mind, relating to the one he'd asked, though he couldn't make the connection himself.

Warily though, he went along with her. Where Lily went, no matter how odd, James would always follow, "Erm, yeah, so?"

"They can fly wherever they want," she continued, looking out the windows, tracking the birds with her eyes, "Go wherever they please. Yet every year, they hold one tradition: they migrate to the same place."

Turning to him, piercing him with her green eyes, she asked, "Why is that?"

"They like tradition?" the black-haired boy ventured.

Lily thought about this. She liked tradition too, she guessed. She did come here on her birthday, she thought, every year, even though she shouldn't. Maybe she was more like the birds than she thought. Maybe, one day, she too could fly away.

"I like tradition too," she said softly.

It was only much later, when the redhead had wandered out, that James realized she was answering his question.


	5. Run

Chapter 5: Prompt: Run

The next year, their meeting wasn't nearly as pleasant. In fact, it reminded James of that dreary Saturday morning, so long ago, the first time he'd seen the redhead.

Like that day, this January 30th dawned with a dark sky, and clouds ready to burst their load on the innocent inhabitants of London. It wasn't even 7 o'clock in the morning yet and still the heavens were raining down on the earth, drenching everything and everyone.

James dearly hoped that Lily, wherever she was, was all right.

She answered his question a few minutes later when she ran into the shop, dripping wet, skidding on her own puddles.

"James!" she called, before he could tell her that the shop wasn't even opened yet, "James you need to help me!" She was agitated, shaking, and it seemed like she wanted to do nothing else but run and never stop running, "They're after me! You need to help me!"

Without asking another word, he took her arm and started leading her upstairs. To his surprise, she struggled against him.

"No James! I can't hide here! They'll find me, and then they'll hurt you!"

He ignored her nonsense, pulling her upstairs, and locking her in his room. There, he wrapped her with his comforter, as the poor girl was shaking from the cold rain dripping along her clothes.

"Take a shower," he said, feeling the need to protect her, above all else, "I'll deal with them."

Lily watched James leave the room and head back downstairs, towards the dangerous men that were following her. She couldn't tell if they were remnants of the people who'd killed her parents, so long ago, or if they were thugs – she didn't care either way. She wanted nothing more than to run away, to run over the Earth to some place, far away, where they'd never be able to catch her, but she knew she couldn't.

Instead, she was stuck shivering on the bed, thankful for someone else's kindness.

She didn't want to hear the shouting below, the shouting that would surely come when those brutes came to get her, so she followed James' orders and got into the shower. It had been years since she'd had a proper shower. In her time in the streets, she'd soak herself in rainwater to get clean, or wash herself in clean water, if she could find it. But a shower? When you're living on the streets, that's a luxury that doesn't exist.

Downstairs, James had gone back to his work, and he was pretending that nothing was wrong. It was a hard task, as his entire body (lean now, he was fourteen after all, and he did his fair share of sports) was taut with apprehension. Yet it took a while for the people Lily mentioned to pass by.

When they did, he saw them immediately: two big men, their broadness shadowed only by the grisly scars on their faces. They brought fear into his chest, and he suddenly understood Lily's unspoken need to run.

Yet those men passed and James couldn't suppress a sigh: she was safe.

His parents, of course, were looking at him oddly. They knew bits and pieces about the girl, knew that she lived on the street surely, because James hadn't kept that from them. They knew that she came in sporadically, and their kindness had always shone though, as they'd always supported James and given the girl as much food as possible. Yet they didn't know about danger, didn't believe that children could be in danger.

For all their beliefs that children were naïve, they were the true innocents.

Upstairs, Lily finished her shower, wrapping herself with the only available towel, feeling slightly guilty for not having asked before hand. She stepped back into the room, dreading having to put her sopping clothes back on, only to find that they weren't there.

"James?" the girl called out, stuck in his room and clad with nothing but a towel.

Hearing her voice, James came into the room, only to once again stop still. It wasn't a hard-to-miss fact, every time he saw the girl, a part of him froze in awe. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and, standing there, her red hair standing out vividly against the white towel, he couldn't help but bask in her beauty once more.

It occurred to him, at that moment, that she wasn't like other girls. Naturally, though James worked a lot in his parents' shop, he had friends, mostly from the sports he played sometimes in the afternoons. Those friends, in turn, had friends that were girls, and he'd been around them enough to know what lust was. Yet with Lily, it'd always been different. She was different.

Though James couldn't truly understand the significance of it at that moment, he realized he was in love with her.

"James?" Lily asked again, pulling him out of his reverie, "Where are my clothes?"

He chucked, "They're washing. They'll be ready soon. You can wear some of mine until then if you'd like."

She declined, and James was secretly thrilled. The towel she was wearing gripped her body, revealing her just-forming curves in the most magnificent way.

They sat on his bed in companionable silence for a bit before James interrupted it, as he was always wont to do, "Lily?" he asked, taking her hum for permission to ask a question, "Are you in danger?"

In reality, she had no idea if she was in danger or not. She mulled over his question for a while, before answering him with more honesty than she was used to, "I used to be," she started, "But I don't think so, not anymore. I was just reminiscing, afraid of the past, I guess."

He thought for a little more, then ventured another question, "Have you always run away?"

"Always."

"Lily?"

She hummed again.

"Would you like to stay here?"

Hope bloomed in Lily's chest, before she could squash it down. Having a home, a true home again, would be the most marvelous thing in the entire world… but she couldn't. She knew that.

"I can't James," she said, declining again.

There was silence for a long time. After a while, James left, and he brought her clothes back. Unknown to her, he's also spoken to his parents.

"Lily?" he asked again, and she couldn't help but grin at him.

"Yes James." Her eyes, full of laughter and smiled, warmed James on the inside. It was wonderful to see her, and even better to see her unafraid. The need to run, that had overwhelmed her at the beginning of the day, was gone from her eyes.

"Would you like to work here, then? We can't pay you much but… it'll be something. And you can shower here whenever you want."

She turned, quickly, rolling on the bed and facing him, lying on her stomach instead of her back. That movement caused the towel around her legs to slide up, barely covering her… _merlin_, James thought, _she really is perfect isn't she_?

Lily hadn't noticed the change in fabric, and James wasn't about to tell her. Instead, she was still focused on what he'd said. It took considerable effort to look back at her face instead of… her other body parts, and he was only able to catch the last thing she said.

"… are you saying I smell, James Potter?" her eyes crinkled with mirth at him.

"No! Well… Sometimes?" she didn't seem to care in the slightest, but he still reassured her, "You're still perfect always, don't worry about it."

Those words sent a thrill up Lily's spine, not that she would ever reveal it.

"To answer your question, I'd love to work here."

All she could think about was how now, she'd finally have a place, a real place. A place where she was an asset, not a burden.

"Thank you James Potter."

And then slowly, shyly, she pressed her lips to his, making his heart run wild.


	6. Big Ben

Chapter 6: Prompt: Big Ben

Having Lily help around the bakery ended up being the best thing to happen in either of their lives. For Lily, it meant an income, which in turn meant a place to stay (however shabby, it was better than the streets), clothes and, of course, a shower. For James it meant a friend, someone he could protect as well as play with.

Though she was a very confusing girl.

Having come to the conclusion that he loved her, James did, clearly, want to date her. But Lily, after that one chaste kiss, so long ago, didn't seem interested. Indeed, the girl was comfortable around him, the most comfortable he'd ever seen her, and yet she didn't go any farther with him. Every time he tried something, whether knowingly or unknowingly, she shot him down.

Figures.

Lily, by that time, was about to turn fourteen, on the significant January 30th date. Of course, James _still _didn't know when her birthday was, as many times as he'd asked, she'd declined to tell him. The previous month, they'd celebrated his birthday with a lot of fanfare, something Lily desperately wanted to avoid.

She knew, of course, that he liked her, he wasn't nearly as subtle as he wanted to be. Yet she also knew that a relationship might be a very bad idea. At fourteen, it would almost certainly not last, and she feared that, if it didn't last, she would lose her job. As important as James was to her, right at that moment, a job was imperative, while he was just a very, very special privilege.

That January 30th, reflecting the mood of the past year they'd spent together, the day dawned bright and cheerful. Lily and James both already had permission for a day off from his parents, a rarity. If one of them had it off, the other usually didn't. Yet though James didn't know about her birthday, he knew about the tradition and, for that loyal boy, it was more than enough.

Grabbing a pre-made bread basket and Lily's hand (while sending chills up her arms, chills that she desperately ignored) he tugged her out of the bakery.

"Where to Red?" he asked her, her nickname annoyingly comforting on his mouth.

She shrugged, content to just walk and talk with him. They ambled around, just basking in the sunlight and each other's company. For Lily, it was the icing on top of the most perfect year of her life. For James, it was just a wonderful day with the girl he was in love with.

In the distance, she saw the classic London clock tower, the Big Ben, and, wordlessly, pulled him towards it.

As they walked in their usual companionable silence (interrupted, of course, by James' typical questions) she couldn't help but remember the fond memories that came with that iconic English tower.

Back when she'd had her parents, it'd been one of her favorite places to visit. She'd go with her father every Christmas Eve, to just watch the clock tower in silence.

"Big Ben?" James asked when they got closer.

"An old tradition."

He didn't ask any more questions.

They spent the rest of the day eating bread, watching the tower, and walking around London, appreciating the rare golden sun. It was marvelous and peaceful, the perfect end to the perfect year.


	7. Theater

Chapter 7: Prompt: Theater

James Potter was sick of it. He was sick of love, he was sick of pining, he was sick of _her_. That blasted girl, the one that'd been on his mind since he saw her, that fateful January 30th, six years ago. Since then, she'd had her grip on him (whether knowingly or unknowingly) and she hadn't let go since.

Well, he was sick of it, he thought, so sick and tired that he would get over her, if it was the last thing he did.

He was a _man _now, at sixteen. He could do whatever he wanted, his parents had started giving him money. He was handsome and not too humble to know it. He was strong and not to scared to prove it. He was a _man _goddamnit, and he would get over her.

It was more than enough time, pining over the same girl for six years. So, he decided to pine for another.

Of course, with the combination of his good looks and skill with the girls (he had been spending all of his spare time with her, so he was comfortable talking to beautiful girls, if nothing else) it was a fairly easy task. Dorcas Meadowes was a beautiful slender brunette with somewhat dim brown eyes. A friend of James', Sirius Black, knew her, and he'd arranged the date.

James was taking her to the theater.

Such was his anger with the captivating redhead that he didn't let her enter his head once, in the entire time planning for the date. He told himself that it didn't matter what she thought, but then, a small part of his brain asked, why aren't you telling her.

He resolutely ignored that part of his brain (some might call it his conscience).

And so, it so happened that, on the morning of January 30th, James Potter set out on a date.

He was nervous for this date because, despite his deepest determination, something in his mind was flashing a warning sign, telling him desperately that this was wrong, so very wrong. But he resolutely ignored that voice, put on his best clothes, and descended the stairs around 10 o'clock that morning, address in hand, ready to go on his first date.

Despite his dearest wishes, there was a frown on his face.

That frown turned into surprise however when, as he went to cross the bakery and leave through the front door, he came face to face with Lily.

"Good morning James," she said happily.

Her voice didn't make him smile, her smile didn't lift his mood, and seeing her _did __not_make his day.

"Lily," he said politely, trying not so subtly to get past her.

She seemed rather put out by this but, in accordance to her stubborn red hair, refused to move. In fact, she even got in his way, "Where are you going?"

"The theater." He said simply, not wanting to continue. Begging her, silently, to not make him continue.

Cocking her head to one side, she looked at him, "Now why would you do that?"

This was it. Taking a deep breath, and standing as straight as he could (which, at sixteen, was quite tall), he said to her, "I have a date."

He expected her to be sad, he secretly hoped that she would be sad. But he never expected the reaction he actually ended up getting.

"Today?" she asked, her voice carefully masking all emotion.

"Why not today?" he asked, frowning at her.

"It's January 30th."

Oh? _Oh_.

James convinced himself that this didn't matter – that this didn't change anything.

"We'll have to postpone the tradition."

She stepped out of his way, looking away in order to hide the tears he _knew _were streaming down her face.

He convinced himself that this didn't matter. Striding out (before he didn't have the courage to anymore) he heard her last words, causing him to freeze up.

"Have fun at the theater," she said quietly, "Thanks for the birthday present."

Long after he'd gone, Lily just stood there, out of the way of the door, in case the customers wanted to come in. She knew she should go home to her small apartment (after all, she'd already taken the day off from the Potters) yet she couldn't get herself to move, couldn't make a thing work but her mind. There were a million thoughts running through her head, but the most important one was the one that was unsaid. The one that, after all these years, she'd finally amassed the courage to say:

I love you.


	8. Challenge

Chapter 8: Prompt: Challenge

For one whole year, things weren't the same between them.

Lily, being Lily, didn't talk about her feelings. She didn't talk about the hidden 'I love you' or about how much James meant to her. Instead, she just threw herself into her work, working as much as the Potter's would let her, working more than they could pay her for, working to pay them back for all they'd done for her.

James, unfortunately, was the opposite. He never went out with another girl, but he threw himself into his friends. The Marauders, they called themselves, were a group of guys that had bonded together on the sports field. They were over at the bakery every day and, though Lily was polite to them, none of them had ever even graced her face with the presence of a hello.

In their company, neither did James.

Lily wondered if James was ashamed of her, of this girl that took so much from him and his family. Indeed, one could argue that she was closer to his parents than even he himself was. It was the bloody git's own fault though, for spending so much time with those boys. Somehow (Lily didn't know and, the few times she'd talked to James without them, he hadn't told her) they'd come up with silly names, calling themselves Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Of course, everyone else knew them by Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James respectively, but in their own little "Marauder circle," those were the only names that mattered. Anyone who didn't have one didn't belong.

Lily, of course, didn't have one.

When the day finally came for her birthday, she had no doubt that James would forget once more so, without even thinking about it, she signed on for a shift on January 30th. Though the Potters shared a look behind her back, neither parent commented.

Though Lily was under the impression that James had forgotten all about her, that was far from the truth. In fact, she was on his mind now more than ever, and he hated her for it. In his mind, it was her fault that he was so in love with her, and so he got back at her by excluding her.

Of course, causing her pain caused _him_ pain, but he didn't tell a soul that. He barely even admitted that to himself, most of the time.

Despite his wishes, every time he looked at a calendar, he marked January 30th in his mind, watching as it came nearer and nearer. He didn't know what he'd do on that day, but he knew he'd do something. This silence, this torturous process, had gone on long enough.

He wanted his Red back.

On the morning of January 30th, James came downstairs, trepidation written all over his face. Whatever he would end up doing (he still didn't know) he knew it would be a challenge to get the redhead back, a challenge he desperately needed to accomplish.

Another challenge was added into the melee, however, (as if this wouldn't be hard enough on its own!) when, early that day, Padfoot came into the bakery.

"Prongs!" he said eagerly, "Let's go! I got us a double date with two of the nicest birds you'll ever see."

This was it, step one in the challenge "I can't today Padfoot."

James didn't notice that, behind him, Lily stood there, anxiously listening while pretending to arrange the display bread.

Lily had come in when Sirius had, hearing his exclamation. Her heart had sunk even lower, if that was even possible. Sure, she knew he wouldn't be spending this day with her, but to spend it with another two years in a row was almost too much.

No, too much was hearing him say he couldn't, that would make her heart burst. From what (joy, happiness, unadulterated excitement) she didn't know, but from _something_.

"What?" Sirius said. It was hard to forget that Sirius came from a privileged family, but it was almost impossible when he used that superior tone of voice "Why not?"

Looking at Lily briefly, James turned back to his friend, "I've got a birthday to celebrate."

Though that took bravery in itself, he knew the real challenge was actually facing the redhead. So, turning to her and banishing his friend from his mind (he would pout, James knew, but Padfoot always forgave him easily) he turned to the true challenge.

"Lily?" he asked.

She was suddenly very busy rearranging the bread. She ignored his presence behind her, ignored when he turned her around (still looking down, she pretended he wasn't there). She ignored when he took her hand, and even tried ignoring him when he tilted her chin up with a finger, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Happy Birthday my love."

Part two of the challenge, complete. Now for the most difficult part.

Leaning in, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't too late, too stupid, too nothing, James pressed his lips against hers.

Lily wanted to hate him. She wanted to be mad at him, or indifferent even, because of everything he'd done. But despite the fact that they'd barely spoken for a year, when his lips touched hers, she flung her arms around him, desperately clinging to him as if he was food, water, air even.

James pulled away for a moment, for a breath and a thought, before kissing her again.

Challenge successful.


	9. Pride

Chapter 9: Prompt: Pride

With James in her life now, everything changed.

Kissing James Potter was like plunging into icy water. Dating him was like riding a roller coaster. And being friends with the Marauders (who had accepted her easily) was like skydiving.

Yes, Lily was definitely a daredevil.

She and James fought constantly, laughed constantly, touched constantly, and kissed constantly. It was always fierce with James, and Lily wouldn't have it any other way.

For James, it was the same and yet very, very different.

Kissing Lily (he still didn't know her last name) was like putting your hand into a dark box, unsure of what you'd find. Seeing her every day was like being punched in the gut. And dating her was the most infuriating thing in the entire world.

There was no one more stubborn, more headstrong, more determined and more proud than his girlfriend, and it worried him sometimes. Worried him because he knew he desperately needed her, and he feared she didn't feel the same towards him.

They'd been dating for a year now, since her birthday, and yet Lily had only told him that she loved him once. _Once_. Granted, it wasn't something that should be said lightly, yet it felt like she barely said it at all.

Just once, he wanted her to lose her pride, to bare her soul, like he did all the time, and admit to him that she needed him. If not, he didn't know if he could take it.

Of course, Lily did indeed love James, love him in that passionate, crazy way, but she also loved him in that deep, lasting way. Yet she couldn't tell him, couldn't say it out loud, because every time she had, she'd lost that person. The three people in her life that she'd loved were gone now, and she feared that, if she loved James too, she would end up loosing him as well.

She knew that it made him unhappy, of course, but probably not to the extent that it actually ended up affecting him. She thought it was a bother, not a full out problem.

It didn't come to light for a year, until it was time for her seventeenth birthday.

By that time, James was already eighteen, having become a full adult to much fanfare with her and the Marauders. It had been an unforgettable party, and she begged him to not do the same for her. She also begged him to not get her a present, as she hadn't gotten him one (her meager money supply still went to paying for a room in a shabby apartment building). Her only present to him had been the words she was often too afraid to say: I love you.

For her birthday, because he knew that anything else would upset her, he decided to repay her in kind, choosing to give her words, just as she'd given him. Or at least, that had been his plan, leading up to the day of her birthday.

Like all of James' plans, this one didn't turn out exactly as he expected it would.

On her birthday, following tradition, he took a basket (of bread, what else) and brought her out to the gardens. The trees overhead would have protected them from the rain, had their been any, but it was a clear day, even though the sun did not shine.

The day reflected James' mood perfectly.

Lily, comfortable around him, acted as a friend would, not a girlfriend, and certainly not one of a whole year (for someone who had never dated, James considered this a whole lot of bloody time). She talked and laughed, only worsening his mood. In fact, she didn't even _notice_ until he was stabbing his sandwich with a knife.

Lily had been in the middle of a story, reminiscing a time that Sirius had mocked James, when she was jolted out of her reverie by James' temper. He'd often do that, get into one of these moods, but she was afraid that this time, he wasn't getting out of it, as he usually did.

"James?" she asked, hesitating. The questions were usually his thing, "Is everything alright?"

That voice she used, soft and tender, as if talking to a child, riled up his pride, giving him the courage to say what he'd wanted to say all along, "Lily, do you even love me?"

She was shocked by this, "James! Of course I do!"

His eyes, piercing behind this glasses, captured her own, "Prove it."

"James. Please don't make me do this."

He looked at her for a long time, "I knew you didn't," he said sadly, almost sighing. By the time he looked up again, she was almost crying.

Why did he always make her cry on her birthday?

"I do James. So much. It's just that…" she didn't know she'd say this. Of course, James thought she was finally overcoming her pride, and he didn't understand how hard it could truly be. Overcoming fear, of course, is that much harder, "I've lost everyone I loved," she confessed, "I'm afraid if I love you too much, I'll lose you to," whispering now, eyes closed, she continued, "I need you."

Grabbing her hand in his, forgetting about his anger, about her fear disguised as pride, he looked solemnly into her eyes. He could have said this when he met her, and he knew he would have meant it at nine just as he did at eighteen, "You'll never lose me. I'll never leave you."

Swallowing up her fear, her pride, everything but her courage (which was immense), Lily said to him, softly, but meaning it more than she'd ever meant anything, meaning it more than any other four words she'd ever uttered, "I love you James."

He smiled at her, prompting a smile of her own, "And I love you Lily."

Taking a pause, he looked into her soul, making a promise both to her and to himself, "Forever."


	10. Climb

Chapter 10: Prompt: Climb

This was it. The moment he'd spent ten years climbing towards, really. He couldn't believe it was finally here, couldn't believe it'd come so soon, and that it'd taken that long. Indeed, he'd taken all the money he'd made in these past years, and spent it, spent it all on this year. He'd promised her, the day before her birthday, that this birthday present would make up for the ten (well he'd said nine, after all, she didn't see him that first year) he'd missed out on. Lily, being Lily, wasn't happy about that.

Oh well.

When the day dawned, he knew that this was it. He'd planned the entire day, arduously detailing their plans to the last second. First they'd have a breakfast at the bakery, then he'd take her to the Big Ben, and then to the park they'd gone last year. He planned on finishing the day with a fancy dinner.

And then he'd ask her.

He was set in his plan. James was sure in his plan.

Fate, apparently, wasn't.

That morning, when Lily walked into the shop, James' heart stopped, it really did. She looked so beautiful in a dress, light even though it was winter. Her smile lit out the room and, as if to remind him how lucky he was, the clouds parted and the sun started shining that day.

Screw those plans, James thought.

"Happy Birthday Red!" he said to her, hugging her tight before pulling her in for a kiss, "What do you want to do today?"

She looked up at him, smiling gleefully, "Actually, do you want to bake?"

He smiled at her, at the fact that she'd choose to spend her birthday helping others, and back to the kitchen they went. Because of the special occasion, his parents let them work on the cakes, and he and Lily baked and decorated them generously. While he was only good at baking from practice, Lily was naturally talented, such that everything she made came out perfect, no matter what.

It was well past lunch by the time they noticed the time, and James excused himself, grabbed a few sandwiches, and pulled Lily out into the grass garden, a few blocks from the bakery. There they sat, basking in the sun and the crisp January air, laughing and playing and just genuinely enjoying each other's company. Lily was more liberal with her affection, and he could usually coast out an I love you a day, though that day he got three, just sitting in the garden. Lastly he pulled out a cake he'd decorated behind her back that morning, with _Happy Birthday Red_ written sloppily on in red icing. She laughed at it, smeared a bit in his face, and dug in.

"James!" she exclaimed after the first bite.

"Wot?" he asked, his mouth full of food.

Her laugh tinkled through the air, "That's cheating! You can't give me a cake I baked for my birthday cake!" She didn't mind at all though, eating it happily. In all honesty, James didn't know who had baked the cake he'd stolen, but he was glad she got to appreciate her own masterpiece.

They continued on the grass for a long time, until the sun was about to set, and James (courtesy of Fate) got a marvelous idea.

"Lily!" he said, jumping up and grabbing the picnic basket, "Come with me!"

Pulling her hand and refusing to let her protest, he grabbed her hand and started running, leaving her to laugh and run behind him.

The couple darted into the shop, breathless, but James didn't stop. He dropped the basked on the counter, kissed his mom, winked at his dad, and started climbing the stairs.

"James where are we going?" Lily asked, breathless from laughter and running.

He didn't answer, just pulling her faster, afraid he'd miss it. Then, bursting through the attic, opening the window he'd found when he was much younger, he squeezed his body through it (a tight fit, to be sure) and pulled Lily out after him.

"James what- oh." She said, her eyes caught on what he'd hoped they wouldn't miss.

Because in front of them was all of London, framed by the setting sun. The sunset today was the color of her hair, stretching beautifully across the horizon.

James took the chance he had, seeing as she was distracted by the sunset, and got down on one knee.

Turning, Lily went to make a comment, only to have her words die in her throat a second time in a row.

"Red," he started, stopped, and then started again, "Lily. You are the love of my life. You have been, ever since I saw you, ten years ago. For my entire life, there's never been another girl for me, and I know it will continue to be so, from now until… forever," he said stumbling over his nerves, "I love you, and I always will. So Lily… will you marry me?"

She smiled down at him, then got down on her own knees, sitting next to him on that balcony. He was confused, but then again, when it came to Lily, he was always confused, "James, did you know that, for a long time, I was afraid of climbing up the stairs?"

He was wordless, with nerves and confusion. Confounded woman, why wouldn't she give him a straight answer!

"I was afraid of going anywhere differently than where I was. Actually, the first time I climbed the stairs without worry was that day you saved me, and pulled me into your room," she looked at him lovingly, "With you, I've never been afraid of the future, I've never been afraid of climbing up, of seeing what comes next."

There was a pregnant pause. James knew she was just doing this to torture him, but he couldn't do anything but love her. She would be the death of him, this girl.

"So yes," she continued, "On one condition."

His heart, which had soared, settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Can there be stairs at our wedding?"

Chuckling at her, at how impossible she was, at how much he loved her, he slipped the ring onto her finger, before pulling her in for a kiss, letting that be answer enough.

And yes reader, as cheesy as it is, they lived happily ever after.

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this story of One Day in the life of James and Lily Potter :)

Thanks for reading

-Julia


End file.
